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This post was last edited by “Hastily Passing Through Those Years” on March 8, 2018, at 15:42. The second round of the 2018 Chinese Super League will be played from March 9 to 11. Guangzhou Evergrande, which lost in the first round, will play at home against Changchun Yatai. Evergrande’s chances of securing a win are closely tied to the performance of its U23 players； The Shanghai Derby is the highlight of this round – how will Shenhua, which is facing difficulties, deal with the strongly performing Shanghai SIPG? In the first round, Luneng had a strong performance at home against Chongqing Swell; this match was very important as a test for Luneng ； Having performed poorly in the first round, Guoan travels to play Suning, and it will still be difficult for Guoan to score points. Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao vs Changchun Yatai – Evergrande regained its strength thanks to its successful performance in the AFC Champions League mid-week, with the return of Zheng Zhi and Zeng Cheng giving the team a significant boost. Returning to league action, Evergrande still feels the urgency to win matches. After losing in the first-round Guangzhou derby, they must avoid losing two matches in a row, otherwise the pressure on their position in the standings will increase further. There are AFC Champions League matches still to be played next week, and Evergrande, with its older player pool, theoretically needs to make adjustments in order to score points as efficiently as possible. Considering the actual circumstances of the first round of the Guangzhou derby, the most noteworthy aspect of Evergrande’s match this time is their U23 players. Although it lost all 5 recent league matches against Guangzhou Evergrande, Yatai was once a team known for its strength against them; in the 2011 season, it achieved 1 win and 1 draw against Evergrande, which had just joined the Chinese Super League, and in the 2014 season it even defeated Evergrande twice. In the second half of last season, Yatai showed clear signs of improvement, and their strong performance in the first away match of the new season, where they drew with Shenhua, further demonstrated this trend. It is indeed difficult for Yatai to score points in this round, but they have the opportunity to make things harder for Evergrande. Tianjin Quanjian vs Beijing Renhe: After suffering a heavy defeat in the AFC Champions League mid-week, it will be interesting to see whether they can regain their momentum back in the league. Next week, in the Central Asian Champions League group stage, Kwon Jin will face Jeonbuk Hyundai again; the team aims to improve the stability of its defense as much as possible in this round of the Chinese Super League. The newcomers, Renhe, have relatively limited capabilities, and Quanjian also needs to seize the opportunity to improve its skills in ball control and teamwork. Last season, Quanjian achieved a solid record of 10 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss at home in the Chinese Super League, which was a key factor in securing a spot in the AFC Champions League; the prospects for the new season will also depend to a large extent on their performance at home. In the previous round, Renhe suffered a narrow away loss to Sui due to penalties; however, they showed some level of determination in that match, with players like Wang Gang delivering notable performances ； However, Iwata’s schedule is extremely unfavorable – they play away in the first 3 rounds, and the 4th round is a derby against a team from the capital. As a result, Iwata, which faces difficulties in scoring points, must strive to seize every opportunity to score. Whether they can score points will be the key indicator of their performance at the start of the season. Guangzhou R&F vs Dalian Yifang – R&F started the new season on a high note with a victory in the Guangzhou derby in the first round. Given the players’ form and the team’s momentum, they are likely to secure points in this match against the newly promoted team Yifang. What will really test R&F is their consistency, as they have experienced fluctuations to varying degrees in previous seasons. In the next round, Fulham will face Shanghai SIPG, and the difficulty of that match further increases the need to score points in this round. A 8-goal defeat on away ground in the first round was extremely harsh for a team that had just been promoted; this outcome increases the interest in how that team will perform in subsequent matches, as well as in their tactical approaches and execution. It is difficult for a foreign player in the attacking lineup to integrate into the team in a short period of time; the prerequisite for stabilizing the team’s performance remains defense. Evergrande’s attacking pace in the front line is fast, making it difficult for the opposing defense to cope. Whether they can handle this challenge effectively determines the prospects of that team in the Chinese Super League. Shandong Luneng Taishan vs Chongqing Swell – Having made no major signings ahead of the new season, Luneng achieved an impressive victory in the first round. Compared to Tardelli’s goal-scoring performance, it was the contributions of Luneng’s homegrown players that were truly noteworthy. Whether this indicates that Li Xiaopeng has been able to turn his understanding of Luneng into a practical advantage in coaching, whether Luneng can maintain stability, and whether it can continue to leverage its advantages stemming from its U23 team – these are all topics that will be of interest going forward. Facing Chongqing Team represents a significant challenge for Luneng. Since the Chongqing team returned to the Chinese Super League in the 2015 season, Luneng’s record against them is 1 win, 3 draws, and 2 losses. In the 2015 season, Luneng defeated Lifan 3-0 at home, but in the past two seasons the matches at home against Lifan have ended in 1-1 draws, which is clearly related to the tactical style of the Chongqing team led by Fernando. For Lifan, which has experienced a change in manager and seen some changes in its squad composition, its performance away against Luneng serves as a significant test as well. Shanghai Greenland Shenhua vs Shanghai SIPG – In the AFC Champions League matches during the week, Shenhua achieved its third consecutive draw in the group stage. Despite serious injury problems and Moreno playing as a substitute, Shenhua once again demonstrated its reputation of being \"difficult to beat\" ； However, this round of the Shanghai derby is extremely difficult; Shenhua is at a disadvantage in terms of strength and team form. In last season’s FA Cup final, Shenhua defeated Shanghai SIPG to win the championship; now that the two teams are facing each other again, the key question is to what extent Shenhua will be able to implement a defensive counter-attack strategy. Given Shanghai Shenhua’s current shortage of players, the prospects for the match are not optimistic. In the first two seasons after Shanghai SIPG’s promotion to the Chinese Super League, Shenhua remained unbeaten against them, with 2 wins and 2 draws, but since the 2015 season, Shenhua’s record against SIPG has been 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses; last season, Shenhua lost 1-3 at home and 1-6 away to SIPG. Shanghai SIPG drew in their AFC Champions League match mid-week, ending their streak of consecutive wins at the start of the season; that match revealed to some extent the team’s difficulties in breaking through their opponents’ strong defenses, which will make the upcoming match against Shanghai Shenhua even more interesting. Oscar’s outstanding form further enhances Shanghai SIPG’s offensive strength, thereby increasing their chances of scoring points. On the other hand, Shanghai SIPG will have to play another away match against Ulsan Hyundai next week; with a clear advantage in strength, the team needs to manage its busy schedule carefully in order to avoid unnecessary strain and loss of players. Guizhou Hengfeng vs Hebei Huaxia Happiness: Last season, Guizhou achieved a record of 7 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses at home; in the first match of the new season they lost at home to Su Ning, so there is a greater need to score points at home in this round as well. Last season, Guizhou defeated Huaxia Happiness 4-3 at home; that match was a representative example of Guizhou’s fighting spirit at home. In this round, facing Huaxia Happiness, which is determined to win, it will be crucial for Guizhou to demonstrate the same level of determination in order to score points. With its squad further strengthened, China Fortune Happiness is seen by the public as a contender for the championship, but its performance in the first away match, where it drew with Teda, was not satisfactory. Last season, when they lost away to the Guizhou team, it was a period of severe decline in Huaxia Happiness’ performance; facing Guiyang again this time represents a significant test of Huaxia Happiness’ current ability to organize its team and maintain stability. In fact, whether they can avoid losing points in consecutive matches against teams toward the middle and lower tiers of the league is also a test of Huaxia Happiness’ status as a strong team. Henan Jianye vs Tianjin Teda: In the first round, Jianye suffered a heavy defeat at home, and their formation and playing style sparked much discussion. In this round, they play at home again, and both their tactical performance and the outcome are crucial, as it will be very difficult to score points in the third round against Evergrande. In the history of matches between these two teams in the Chinese Super League, Jianye has 3 wins, 9 draws, and 8 losses against Teda; at home, Jianye has 2 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses against Teda. Before the new season, several players left Teda, but the team performed well in its first match, drawing with China Happiness; the results of their winter training and the impact of the newly signed foreign players were both evident. In terms of team morale and mindset, Teda clearly has an advantage over Jianye, which should increase Teda’s chances of scoring points. Last season, the home team managed only 2 wins at home, the fewest among teams in the Chinese Super League ； Last season, Teda managed only 1 win on away games, with a record that was only better than that of the team relegated, Liaoning FC; such figures only serve to increase the suspense surrounding their encounters. Jiangsu Suning Yigou vs Beijing Zhonghe Guoan: In the first round, Suning managed to defeat the Guizhou team away from home; the team’s execution skills and the impact of the new players they brought in were truly impressive. This certainly gives Suning an advantage as it prepares for its home debut in this new season. It is worth mentioning that Su Ning had a poor record at home at the start of last season, which directly led to a decline in their performance throughout the season; therefore, it is very important to achieve a successful start at home in the new season. Judging from things such as the goals scored by Huang Zichang and the number of U23 players who took to the field, Su Ning was the team that was most proactive in complying with the U23 policy in the first round of the Chinese Super League, and these aspects will remain topics of interest going forward. In sharp contrast to Suning’s situation, Guoan, which suffered its first defeat in the first round, seems to be facing a crisis right from the start of the season; Schmidt’s choices regarding players and team formations have sparked a lot of controversy. Guoan, which finished 9th in the previous season, made significant signings ahead of the new campaign; it is quite difficult for them to recover quickly after a poor start to the new season. It is also important to understand how the team members, the media, and fans view Guoan’s actual performance – \"Guoan’s mindset\" is currently the most noteworthy aspect to watch. In their history of encounters in the Chinese Super League, Guoan has 8 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses against Su Ning; away from home, Guoan has 3 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses against Su Ning. However, Guoan lost both of its recent away games against Su Ning, so it will still face significant challenges in trying to score points in this match away from home.